After conducting an international search, on May 29 Michigan State Universitys International Studies and Programs announced the appointment of Brett Berquist to the position of executive director of the Office of Study Abroad.

Bretts background in international education in the U.S., Europe and Asia will be a great asset to MSUs international leadership team, said Jeffrey Riedinger, dean of International Studies and Programs. He will bring to MSU more than 20 years of experience in promoting internationalization along with a record for developing study abroad programming in collaboration with faculty.

In his new position, Berquist, who will arrive on campus July 15, will lead the largest study abroad program at a U.S. public university, working to assure the quality of program offerings and grow student participation. These initiatives include a visiting international student program, expansion of international internships and research opportunities and development of joint and dual-degree programs.

Berquist is currently the executive director of international programs at Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo. His background includes experience in international student recruitment, study abroad program development, chairing departments of modern languages, strategic planning and management. Berquist has held faculty and administrative positions with Institut Suprieur du Commerce in Paris and with Grand Valley State University.

After earning a bachelors degree in music and French literature from the University of Missouri, Berquist received a masters degree in linguistics with high honors from the University of Kansas. He has also completed undergraduate studies with Universit de Paris IV, France and doctoral work in psycholinguistics and second language acquisition at the Universit de Technologie de Compigne France.